HMS Diamond tests Sea Viper

The Royal Navy’s HMS Diamond has tested its Sea Viper missile system off the coast of Scotland, the navy announced on 19 May.

The firing was part of the work-up period for the Type 45 destroyer ahead of its deployment on operations later in 2017.

During the test, the missile accelerated to Mach 4 (four times the speed of sound) before successfully destroying its target - an incoming Mirach drone target moving at around 500mph – in a scenario designed to simulate a projectile attack on the ship.

Sea Viper consists of the Sampson radar system and the Aster missile system. The system tracks aircraft and other objects across thousands of cubic miles of airspace, identifies threats, and destroys them when necessary.

HMS Diamond’s training package is now complete and the vessel will return to Portsmouth for a final period of preparations before deploying later this year.